…who needs enemies? “The Social Network”

Last week I would have written a bad review of “Dinner for Schmucks” but I waited to start the New Year off on a positive note. “The Social Network” is a throwback to the old days when studios put out films that were smartly written, filmed creatively and acted strongly. Hopefuilly more films like this will be greenlighted since the dumbing down of movies has hit a low point that needs reversing.

David Fincher, the director who gave us the great “Zodiac” and the amazing “Fight Club” teams up with writer Aaron Sorkin who created and gave us the best seasons of “The West Wing” as well as “A Few Good Men“. They make a strong cinematic duo. Taking on the story of Mark Zuckerberg the boy billionaire founder of Facebook, a website that has redefined our current web culture also made for an interesting project. Filmed like an old-school thriller and with the snappy rat-a-tat dialogue that Sorkin perfected in his ‘walk and talk’ scenes on the Wing, the film is the best movie of the past year. It is rare to have an adult, intelligent film that takes on subjects such as ego, ethics and loyalty in the business world in such an entertaining way. In the end the film may not seem to be about anything earth shattering, but the creation of the popular website that epitomizes the superficial, ill-mannered world of the web also defines a generation. Like the self-absorbed entrepreneurs it portrays, it handles the subject matter with a sense of grave importance.

Jesse Eisenberg who is often compared to Michael Cera but has much stronger acting chops, goes to town here and should be nominated for an Oscar. Capturing perfectly the passive aggressive arrogance of a computer nerd, Eisenberg’s depiction of Zuckerberg may not be entirely accurate but it is compelling and believable. He paints an unflattering picture that seems to gel with reports of a man who laughed at how people made the mistake of trusting Facebook with all their personal data. Zuckerberg here begins experimenting with a vicious sexist website while ironically donning a gray GAP hoodie. Soon he is stealing the concept at least partially from a pair of athletic Harvard twins (Both played by Armie Hammer), and almost immediately begins pulling away from his trusted friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) once he is enticed to wade into the big money waters by Napster founder Sean Parker, played with a Gordon Gekko exuberance by Justin Timberlake. The film plays like a tragedy and relishes the irony that the lonely nerd who often felt out of place amongst the cool ivy leaguers and was awkward with women would go on to take full credit for the most popular site on the web and make billions. Yet it also aptly points out how personal relationships require social skills, not just a mouse click and that deleting friends may have been a bit too easy for Zuckerberg.